Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-injection threshold in self-guided laser wakefield accelerators
AU - Mangles, Stuart P. D.
AU - Genoud, G.
AU - Bloom, M. S.
AU - Burza, M.
AU - Najmudin, Zulfikar
AU - Persson, A.
AU - Svensson, K.
AU - Thomas, Alexander George Roy
AU - Wahlstrom, C.-G.
PY - 2012/1/19
Y1 - 2012/1/19
N2 - A laser pulse traveling through a plasma can excite large amplitude plasma waves that can be used to accelerate relativistic electron beams in a very short distance—a technique called laser wakefield acceleration. Many wakefield acceleration experiments rely on the process of wave breaking, or self-injection, to inject electrons into the wave, while other injection techniques rely on operation without self-injection. We present an experimental study into the parameters, including the pulse energy, focal spot quality, and pulse power, that determine whether or not a wakefield accelerator will self-inject. By taking into account the processes of self-focusing and pulse compression we are able to extend a previously described theoretical model, where the minimum bubble size kprb required for trapping is not constant but varies slowly with density and find excellent agreement with this model.
AB - A laser pulse traveling through a plasma can excite large amplitude plasma waves that can be used to accelerate relativistic electron beams in a very short distance—a technique called laser wakefield acceleration. Many wakefield acceleration experiments rely on the process of wave breaking, or self-injection, to inject electrons into the wave, while other injection techniques rely on operation without self-injection. We present an experimental study into the parameters, including the pulse energy, focal spot quality, and pulse power, that determine whether or not a wakefield accelerator will self-inject. By taking into account the processes of self-focusing and pulse compression we are able to extend a previously described theoretical model, where the minimum bubble size kprb required for trapping is not constant but varies slowly with density and find excellent agreement with this model.
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.15.011302
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.15.011302
M3 - Journal article
VL - 15
JO - Physical Review Special Topics: Accelerators and Beams
JF - Physical Review Special Topics: Accelerators and Beams
SN - 1098-4402
M1 - 011302
ER -